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A significant collection of scores by Mozart and many other rare cultural treasures have been acquired for the nation through the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council?s (MLA) Acceptance in Lieu scheme.

The MLA has approved the acceptance of 83 printed scores consisting of 103 compositions by the great composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) in lieu of Inheritance Tax. One of the most important collections of Mozart?s printed scores in the world, it contains 43 first editions, 17 for works for which no manuscript survives and 25 that are not in any other UK collection. Along with the scores, a variety of important cultural materials have also been accepted into the scheme.

The scores were all printed during Mozart?s lifetime and the earliest are of the Violin Sonatas K. 6 and 7, and K. 8 and 9, which were printed in London first in 1764 and again in the following year when Mozart visited the city. The scores have been allocated to the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

Mark Wood, MLA Chairman, said: "In a year when the world celebrates the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, it is tremendously exciting that the these manuscripts have been saved for the nation by the Acceptance in Lieu scheme, which is run by the MLA. This acquisition demonstrates the enormous contribution the Scheme makes to building Britain's cultural heritage."

Compositions

David Lammy, Culture Minister, said: ?Our cultural institutions enjoy an international reputation and every year Acceptance in Lieu enriches the cultural lives of UK residents and visitors alike. It is great to see such rich resources as Mozart?s compositions being saved for the nation. I hope their preservation in a public collection will help inspire future generations.?

Libraries, museums and archival repositories and the public they serve will all be enriched through the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme, which ensures that important objects can become public property to be enjoyed and studied by all. As funding for acquisitions becomes increasingly difficult, the Acceptance in Lieu scheme grows in importance and is now vital to the growth of collections.

The MLA, which runs the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme on behalf of the government, has recently announced the completion of eleven offers of outstanding cultural importance. Together these treasures are worth more than ?7,500,000. They have been widely allocated to collections in Belfast, Cambridge, Leeds, London, Oxford, Somerset and Suffolk.

Other objects accepted include a masterpiece by the Italian 18th century painter Giovanni Paolo Panini (1691-1765); five portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, which have been allocated to Gainsborough?s House Museum in Sudbury, Suffolk, the artist?s native town; a Charles II Gold beaker, never before placed on exhibition; four medieval swords and an extremely rare helmet (armet) of the late 1530s which is the earliest known example from the royal armour workshop at the Palace of Greenwich. The workshop was established by Henry VIII to produce armour of the highest quality, much if not all for his personal use.

The Acceptance in Lieu scheme allows those who are liable to Inheritance Tax to pay the tax by transferring an important cultural item into public ownership. The scheme has been in existence for over fifty years and has brought thousands of objects in public collections and saved many houses and their contents which now belong to the National Trust. In the last five years, items valued at over ?140m have been acquired through the scheme and allocated to public collections.

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council?s (MLA) together with nine regional agencies work in partnership to provide strategic direction and leadership for museums, libraries and archives across England. The Partnership acts collectively for the benefit of the sector and the public, leading the transformation of museums, libraries and archives for the future.

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